Respect of the Hunter
by Riderkitty
Summary: On a medically leave, Wolf expected nothing out of the ordinary; however, Wolf would be shocked to learn of what would happen on a boring, normal hunting trip. Or not so normal. He could never had imagined of meeting his namesake up close. But he did. And he has something to say to one disrespectful "hunter." WRITTEN FOR SPYFEST 2019


**Respect of the Hunter**

**Written for SpyFest 2019**

**Hey guys, it's been a while. This is by no means a good story, but it's a start. There was a lot of telling, not showing, and it was not written well. BUt it was written. I hope you guys enjoy this little one-shot. I enjoyed writing it.**

**This is based off of Season 1, Episode 1 of Shooter, where Bob Lee Swagger tells the hunters off. I believe that the gun Wolf is using is used by Swagger in this episode, and for sure in episode 3. There's a lot of guns on that show, so sorry if this is not accurate. And I'm not sure if any of this gun can be taken apart, but just pretend it can, okay? Also, I don't know if you have game wardens in England, or if it is illegal to trap-hunt wolves there. I know it's not legal in some states in America. I purposely didn't mention, specifically, where Wolf was. And I like to think that Wolf matches some characteristics of an actual wolf. Strong, dangerous looking, with a mouth full of gleaming teeth. **

**Now that the info dumping is over, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Alex Rider series or any of it's characters. I drew inspiration from Season 1 Episode 1 of Shooter, which is available on the USA program and Netflix. I don't own the rights to it.**

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He couldn't help but grin as the deer stepped into his line of sight. The first real chance of a kill this whole week. He was a good distance away, but he knew he wouldn't miss, not with his Remington 700 BDL. It would do the job.

Wolf adjusted his sights of the scope ever so slightly, careful and slow as he did so. The deer seemed unaware of the danger, instead, continuing to nibble on the patch of grass.  
Wolf's finger brushed the trigger. _Inhale. Exha-_

A sharp, ear-piercing howl filled the forest, and the frightened deer took off in an instant, several birds flying in different directions frantically as well. Wolf cursed and lowered the rifle from his shoulder. Why was a wolf howling in the _middle_ of the day?

He shook his head in disgust as he picked himself off the ground. There was no way anything would come crawling out now. Not after that outburst.

He started taking the rifle apart, preparing to put the pieces back in the case. His fingers hesitated as his brow suddenly furrowed. Now that he thought about it, he was suddenly curious about the howl. To him, thinking back on it, it seemed shortened, and full of sudden pain. But what could make the wolf in so much pained it disturbed the whole forest? As far as Wolf knew, the wolf was the biggest predator in these parts of the woods. And in the middle of the day?

He put the pieces back together with a sigh. His shoulder was still tense at times from the bullet wound, and he knew that this could lead to nothing but trouble, but in no time, he found himself walking in the direction the sound had came from, with the rifle slung across his back and a pistol in his hand.

Only the slight sound of leaves under his feet broke the silence that had appeared. As he walked, he scanned the forest around him, watching for any hidden predators. The cry could have been a trap, and he certainly liked his heart beating, so he took no chances of being unaware. He cursed again silently. What was he doing? He was only on medically leave for a few more weeks. He didn't have the time to be going on a wild goose chase after some wounded animal.

Just as he was about to give up, there was another pained cry, this time quieter, but closer. Before he took the time to rethink about how stupid he was, he was taking off silently to the left, where the second whimper had come from. As he burst forth into a small clearing, the sight stopped him dead in his tracks.

In front of him lay a small, young wolf. From the size and sound it made, it couldn't have been more than a year old. HIs face grew grim as he took in the trap caught around the wolf's leg. The blood oozing from the wound gleamed in the sunlight, making it look ten times worse.

The wolf growled feebly as Wolf took a step forward. Wolf stopped, slowly putting the gun in the waistband of his trousers. The wolf's light eyes flashing dangerously and coldly, making him more wary. Is this what he looked like to his teammates? Like a ferocious beast warning any predators to not make another move?

He scrambled to think of a way to help the wolf, without getting hurt himself, when the cold glint of metal touched his lower back, near his side almost, reminding him of what he had in his bag. The dart gun!

As he slowly reached for it in the small bag strapped to his side, the wolf scrambled to get up, but slumped in defeat as its' leg scraped even more across the trap. A low grumble filled its throat, and Wolf acted on instinct.

Wolf watched as its straining muscles loosened in grip, falling limp as the wolf relaxed in a semiconscious state. He lowered the gun he had whipped out and moved to crouch beside the animal. The tranquilizer would last long enough for him to get the wolf out of the trap, possible enough time for him to give it some antibiotics too.

Slowly, he hit the release button on the trap, setting the wolf's leg free. He grabbed his water canister from his side pouch, allowing the water to trickle down the wolf's leg. It panted comfortably in response, and he took that as encouragement as he gave the wolf an antibiotic shot. "Hopefully you stand a fighting chance with those in your body," he murmured, patting the wolf's side. He knew his teeth were gleaming from his satisfied smile; sort of like the wolf, in a way.

He heard a crack from behind him and stood up instantly. "What do you think you're doing? That's mine!" The stranger in front of him waved his rifle around carelessly, before pointing it at Wolf.

Wolf's hands went up slowly. "As far as I know, that wolf belongs to itself. It is breathing, is it not?"

The man gritted his teeth, taking a step forward. Wolf winced as the man's bright outfit blinded him in the sunlight high above their heads. "It wouldn't be alive if you hadn't interfered," he said tensely.  
Wolf took a breath to steady himself before taking a different approach. "Look, it's illegal in these parts to trap-hunt wolves. You could get in big trouble if I report this. Regardless, there's no respect in killing an animal that way. If you are going to hunt, you should do it right."

That set the man off. He huffed, bringing the gun up a little higher, though his aim was atrocious, even at the short distance he was from Wolf. "And why would anyone believe your story over mine? The wolf will be gone by the time you could get your "respect" over to the game warden."

Wolf raised an eyebrow at the man's snideful tone. "I'm an officer of the British Special Air Service. When I'm home, I make sure to be a contributing worthful member of my community. The game warden and I happen to have mutual _respect_ for each other, and he happens to owe me a favor," he paused, making his point clear. "I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased with your actions."

When the man's grip on his riffle tightened, Wolf acted. In an instant, he had the gun out of the man's hand through an effortless twisting motion. Wolf threw the gun to the side and shoved the smaller man against the tree behind him. Wolf's forearm on his chest was unmoving.

Wolf stared coldly at the man. The stranger's eyes widened, and his mouth was open slightly, before he started biting on his lip unconsciously. "You will not disrespect another animal you plan on killing. You will not disrespect the game warden's intelligence by believing he could be bribed by an innocent little act you have planned. And next time," Wolf narrowed his eyes. "Don't listen to those kids at Tesco. That gun won't kill anything bigger than a squirrel."

He stared at the man, waiting for it to sink in before stepping back. He picked up the gun from where he had thrown it, and handed it back to the man, without the bullets.

The man slumped against the tree in relief as Wolf walked away to gather his things. He started the trek back to his truck, leaving the now subdued man. But, once he had reached the edge of the clearing, he stopped, turning to face the man again.

The stranger straightened almost immediately. Wolf's grin was wide with teeth gleaming. "Another tip: you might want to leave pretty soon, that wolf's not going to be happy when it wakes up in a few minutes."

With that Wolf took off, sighing as he mentally planned out the rest of his afternoon. He hadn't seen Charlie, the game warden of the county, in a while. Wolf knew he would be glad to ticket another idiot for illegal hunting. Maybe afterwards, they could stop by the range. Wolf was itching to shoot something.


End file.
